


this is what we do

by Hazazel



Series: all these shades of black [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi is a witch, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Angst, Gen, M/M, bokuto is a demon, suga is his snake familiar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 17:51:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14266419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazazel/pseuds/Hazazel
Summary: As Akaashi keeps reciting the incantation, the smoke shapes out sturdy, scaly shoulders, a marble-grey torso, muscled legs and at last, with a sickening crack, a face with a large smile. Suga feels his scales bristle, and he slowly slithers to Akaashi’s feet, ready to coil around them should he step forward.





	this is what we do

The invocation circle dimly glows under the candlelight, but Suga’s eyes rake the room without caring for it. What he’s looking for is the crouched shape of Akaashi, and his worry only grows when he finally finds him.

“Akaashi, maybe this year it’s not necessary to-”

“Shut up,” he says. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

Truth be told, as his familiar, Suga must – should – have an influence on the actions of his witch, but Akaashi always did as he pleased. Even more so when _he_ is concerned. Suga almost sighs, and slithers up the dining room table, trying to ignore his bad feeling. Akaashi doesn’t seem to mind and finishes the preparations with ruthless efficacy, taking care to put a hermetic barrier of salt between them and the filth that will soon be in the world of men.

“If you’re sure, I won’t try to stop you,” Suga whispers as a last try. “It’s just… I know how he affects you.”

“Don’t worry,” Akaashi smiles, but his tone is sad and remains so as he starts the ritual.

The spell is guttural, said in a voice that doesn’t sound like Akaashi, and that Suga can’t get used to. Demon tongue is as ugly as those who speak it, Daichi said, and when he sees the smoke that billows under the setting sun, Suga can only agree. As Akaashi keeps reciting the incantation, the smoke shapes out sturdy, scaly shoulders, a marble-grey torso, muscled legs and at last, with a sickening crack, a face with a large smile. Suga feels his scales bristle, and he slowly slithers to Akaashi’s feet, ready to coil around them should he step forward.

“Keiji ! That was per-fect ! Way better than the first time you summoned me, that’s for sure,” Bokuto booms out, and his hands already stretch out to test the strength of the circle of light keeping him prisoner.

Suga can’t help it – he hisses, his fangs dripping with venom. Akaashi seems momentarily distracted and Bokuto’s image weakens, but he shakes himself aware and shoots Suga an accusing glance.

“Still with that sneaky snake ?” Bokuto’s voice is sugary-sweet. “Keiji…”

“He’s my familiar, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi says tiredly. “He’s loyal to me.”

“Really ? I’d say he’s jealous,” Bokuto answers, showing sharp teeth.

The effect is immediate. The air grows cold, the flames tilt, and in the middle of the gusts of wind a satisfied demon is causing, Akaashi blushes like a schoolgirl.

“There’s nothing to be jealous about, Bokuto-san, I’m just summoning an elder demon for the Samhain ritual. It just so happens I have more – ah, ease, to summon you.”

“Keiji, what do I say every time ! No need to be so formal, you can even call me Koutarou, if you’d like best,” he ends with a face he must find charming.

Once more, Akaashi’s cheeks turn pink, and Suga swears he’s tilting forward, near the circle. He coils harder around his leg and sneaks up his arm to whisper directly in his ear.

“Quick the ritual only requires a minute, or you’ll get too tired.”

“Suga, leave me be,” Akaashi answers, his ear still tinted pink, and Suga knows that this year too he has lost to the creature standing in front of them.

Bokuto smiles widely. He heard everything, demons have sharp ears, and Suga knows he enjoys the possibility of torturing Akaashi for one more night, even more than the energy feast given to him. The air crackles with electricity, bitter on his forked tongue, and if Suga had human eyes, they’d wet with tears of frustration.

The ingredients have been ready for days and Akaashi takes them out of their cups without even checking to see if he didn’t mix them up. Suga never saw Akaashi make a mistake, except that time Kenma came in the room without warning, but if someone can make one happen, it truly is the demon sneering at them. The raspy incantation starts again, less assured this time, and Suga almost fears Akaashi’s voice will fail, sealing their fate with one mispronounced word, but he hangs on, and crumbles on the ground as the light surrounding Bokuto gets stronger.

“That was so good,” he moans, “I never regret coming when it’s you who summons, Keiji.”

“You’ll have to be there next June. Last year…”

Last year, Bokuto stood them up and they had to summon another demon, less powerful, less docile too. Akaashi almost died. For this, as much as the hungry gaze he sets on his witch, Suga knows he’ll never forgive Bokuto for coming back.

“I’ll be there, Keiji,” he promises in a languid voice.

Bokuto’s eyes have a sickening glimmer to them that gives him shivers, but Akaashi doesn’t seem to mind and he even smiles a little. Usually so composed, Akaashi looses all pretense of calm when Bokuto is concerned, which should be reason enough not to summon him. Never show weakness to a demon. Suga knows Akaashi can’t help it, and his insides twist when Akaashi gets up. He walks to the table, though, and Suga relaxes – for a moment he thought Akaashi’s fingers were going to cross the circle and take him where the demon could read.

“If it happens, bite me,” Akaashi had warned.

“What if I’m not strong enough ?”

“You’re a lot stronger than me,” he’d sighed, caressing his scales, and Suga had sighed as well.

The moon now shines above the rooftops, and Bokuto’s fangs glow a yellow colour when he smiles again, eyes never leaving Akaashi.

“Keiji, Keiji, do you have them ?”

Bokuto’s voice could be the one of an excited teen, so young, almost free of the creaking sounds of demon tongue. He could look like Lev, and that’s what must snap Akaashi out of it. His face closes off, his eyes grow cold, and he throws two empty grimoires at Bokuto.

“I hope there’s what you’re looking for, Bokuto-san.”

“I don’t know, Keiji, what do you think ?” he answers airily.

He tries not to show it but Akaashi cares about how Bokuto reacts, and this is cold enough compared to his usual cries of joy. Or his angry screams. The absence of emotion must disturb Akaashi, it’s so unusual even Suga is on guard – it can’t mean any good.

“Dragon hide, as you requested. New,” Akaashi adds under Bokuto’s silent gaze. “And untreated.”

“I know !” Bokuto suddenly shouts, “that’s perfect, thanks, Keiji !”

The giant smile is back, as is the cheerful voice, and Akaashi’s stern expression weakens. That’s what Suga can’t stand, that Bokuto makes Akaashi so… malleable. A suggestible witch has nothing to do with the supernatural, but Akaashi likes to toy the line, to stray further and further away from the beaten track, all for Bokuto. Even if it had been for another reason, when he sees the result, Suga isn’t sure he likes it.

“Do you have enough energy to make me stay ?” Bokuto asks, a grin on his rusty face. “Enough for all the night ?”

“No, but I can let you stay for the evening.”

Akaashi’s cheeks are red again and Suga regrets caving in when he talked about summoning Bokuto again. Oikawa is a wild card but Akaashi would have never conceded to his pleas.

“Too bad, I’d have loved to spend Samhain with such a pretty witch. People like you don’t grow on trees !” Bokuto booms out, wings wide open to balance his weight as he tilts forward, predatory. “It’s been a while since we last saw each other… any news ? Someone sharing your bed, maybe ?”

“Not since last year,” and Akaashi’s regret is seeping through his voice.

Suga could scream. Everything, but having to watch, powerless, as his witch self destructs. Bokuto’s eyes alight with a cruel glimmer before he speaks again.

“Really ? Why so ? Someone as beautiful, you don’t see every day. Even Oikawa told me he was impressed after June, you must have been top notch ! No make-up for me, I’m disappointed…”

He leans forward even more, fangs bared, and Suga understand this is his version of a puppy look. If he doesn’t bite, Akaashi seems disturbed, and takes a few seconds to answer.

“I’m sorry Bokuto-san, preparing for tonight exhausted me.”

“You know, demonic energy works way better than all your witchy potions, we could-”

Suga doesn’t let him finish his sentence, cutting him off with a hiss, and Akaashi startles as if he’d just been shaken awake. Once more, he leaned towards the circle, towards Bokuto, and Suga pushes him softly with his head until he’s back a few steps away from the salt barrier.

“I’m not sure it’s a good idea, Bokuto-san.”

“That snake is definitely jealous, Keiji ! Ha,” Bokuto exhales, “see that look he just shot me ? He’s just upset his witch cares about somebody else.”

For someone who boasts about being so intelligent, Bokuto says a lot of crap – Suga doesn’t like _him_ , that’s all. Kenma is a perfectly acceptable person and Suga said nothing when they kissed Akaashi the other day.

He immediately regrets thinking about it when Bokuto’s head slowly turns to face him, and a sickening joy spreads on his grey face. His features contort into a parody of a smile, and Suga instinctively backs off. Akaashi gets closer to the circle, fists balled up, ready to intervene – whether Bokuto is actually happy or not, this face spells disaster. He says nothing, though, and opens his wing to draw his weight back.

“So ! I assume you want news from Tsukki in exchange for those books ?”

The change in topics is too brutal to be honest, but Bokuto is right – the only reason he’s even here is Tsukishima. Since his disappearance – Akaashi forbids him to speak about death – they’ve had no news, which is unusual, even for those who made a Deal.

“How is he ?” Akaashi asks, throat tight. “Is he-”

“No news is good news, right Keiji ? You shouldn’t worry, he’ll pop back eventually.”

Akaashi seems puzzled, but Suga was expecting something like this. Answers that only raise more questions aren’t rare with demons, and Akaashi made the mistake of believing Bokuto would be honest with him. He’s never been, and hope is a dangerous light when it’s at the end of the tunnel. Suga’s scales bristle again, and he slithers to the ground to wrap around his witch’s leg.

“You promised you’d talk to me about him,” Akaashi accuses.

“Really ? Don’t remember,” Bokuto says pensively. “I wouldn’t have said that, we can’t give info on newly turned demons !”

That’s a lie, an awful lie, and Suga can feel Akaashi’s muscle tighten under him. Anger, frustration, lack of understanding mostly. “You can’t trust him,” Suga kept saying, but he gets no satisfaction from being right.

“That being said… I won’t say no to an exchange of information,” Bokuto whispers. One of his claws toys with the salt barrier, testing it strength, and it crackles under the strain Akaashi is under just to maintain it.

“If you let me out, I’d tell you anything you want, without asking for anything. What about that, Keiji ?”

“Out of question,” Suga answers instead. “Akaashi, that’s enough.”

“I know what I’m doing, don’t worry,” Akaashi says distantly. “You wanna get out, that’s right, Bokuto-san ?”

For a moment his face is troubled, and the temperature of the room goes up, but he quickly recovers and smiles broadly. His fangs glow under the candlelight, yellow and sharp. His eyes seem to emit their own glow, that’s reflected on the scales of his shoulders.

“I’m sure you’ve thought about it, Keiji. You wouldn’t have to exhaust yourself maintaining me here, and we’d spend the night together… just us,” he ends, with a nasty glance towards Suga.

The threat is barely concealed – it’s not very clever to lash out at him like this, and Suga sees Akaashi’s face grow cold with a twinge of pleasure. However, he gets even closer to the invocation circle, his desperate eyes lots in the demon’s.

“You’re lonely, you told me you were lonely… A familiar doesn’t do much, you need more contact,” Bokuto says, wings undulating.

“I never said I was lonely,” Akaashi answers.

Suga is sure the sentence escaped him. It’s too personal, holds too many hopes and questions to be submitted to the perversion of the Otherworld. Kenma has nothing to do with those creatures and they shouldn’t know their name. Suga can feel the cogs turning in the demon’s head and shivers in front of his deformed grin.

“Ke-i-ji, you didn’t tell me. It’s bad to lie to me, we know each other so well, we’re friends.”

His cruel gaze leaves no place for doubt and Akaashi winces. If only Suga could bite him, if he could do any harm to that abject being, he would, without hesitation, at the risk of picking the pieces back up later with Akaashi – everything but not this.

“I thought we were close…” Bokuto pretends to be hurt, and falls backwards in an attempt to draw Akaashi to him. It’s useless, which seems to disturb him. For the first time this evening, Bokuto doesn’t have the upper hand, and his anger diffuses a smell of death in the room. Suga shivers, and climbs back up to Akaashi’s shoulders in an effort to stay warm. As a show of support.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be close to you,” Akaashi says.

His voice is tight, sad, full of regrets – but full of resolve. If Suga could smile… no, he wouldn’t. Victory isn’t certain yet. Akaashi lays a hand on his scales, to reassure him – or himself.

“Keiji !” Bokuto shouts. The next words are in demon tongue, so Suga can’t understand them, but he feels Akaashi startle under him and his knees bend. Immediately, he tries to get up to face Bokuto, but the demon snuffs out all the candles with a swipe of his arm. The only light source in the room is now his eyes, which cast a gloomy light on Akaashi’s pale face.

“Bokuto-san, I-”

“You don’t like me, that’s it ?” Bokuto says, and his voice is ear-splitting. “I knew it, I knew it !”

Akaashi opens his mouth to answer but a strong smell of sulfur makes him double over.

“Shut up ! It doesn’t matter ! You’ll see when Tsukki comes next year – it’ll be worse than anything I ever told you…”

Akaashi is on the ground, shaking under the force of his coughs, but he manages to say, “He’ll come next year ?”

Bokuto answers in demon tongue, words spat low and with rage. Akaashi nods before hearing it all. In one move, he gets a small pocketknife out of his sleeve and cuts his finger open above the barrier. A gust of wind, and the room is plunged into darkness. It takes some time for the candles to light up again. The salt has burned a black circle on the floor, but it’s empty – no trace of Bokuto.

Akaashi takes a moment before he gets up, putting Suga on the ground.

“Please, check the window,” he asks wearily.

Slithering to the table, Suga avoids the charcoal markings and stands before the window. It’s completely night out now, and the moon is hidden behind a thick curtain of clouds. Nothing unusual moves next to their buildings, there isn’t even wind. A crow flies off a nearby tree and gets lots in the night.

“I don’t see anything. Akaashi-”

“Later.”

He’d started tidying up, but Akaashi stops short. His lips tremble, and his breath is jerky.

“Let’s go to sleep,” Suga whispers, and that’s what they do.

**Author's Note:**

> So ! This was the beginning of this AU, which I've had a lot of fun planning (that's a lie I just wrote the first text a year and a half ago and I've finally finished it and written one more).  
> Please leave comments and kudos, they're what helps me write.  
> I hope you enjoyed, have a good day !


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